Design Wall Monday 5/15/2023

After finishing up a Hawaiian applique block a few days ago, I went on a hunt for the rest of the Hawaiian blocks that were hiding away in my sewing room. Here are all of the finished blocks up on the design wall together.

There's also one more block that is cut out and basted to the background, but the stitching is barely started. I added that to the wall and tried out an on-point setting. I like the balance of colors in this version, but it means I would have to finish that last block!

Here is the unfinished block alone. Only a very small portion at the upper left has been appliqued.

An even closer view of that block gives a better look at how the Hawaiian applique is done. The blue fabric was folded into 1/8's and cut out, similar to the way you cut paper snowflakes. Then it was unfolded and basted down to the background fabric. All of the cut edges get turned under approximately 1/8" and stitched down to the background. 

Check out what other quilters are working on this week at Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and at Monday Musings at Songbird Designs. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA 

Projects Old and New

My quilting time this week was spent on one very old project, plus I started one new project. Here's the old project first. I pulled out an unfinished Hawaiian applique block in April, our month for purple at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and now the block is done! It will join three previously finished blocks. According to my UFO list, the first block of the set was started in 2001. I wonder where those other blocks are hiding?

Hawaiian Applique block, 20" square

The new project that I started this week is a block of the month by the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. Several members of our quilt guild are making their own versions as a group challenge. I had planned to use 30's fabrics for my block, then totally changed direction and went with a gradation of fall colors. This block is also appliqued, but I did this one by machine, straight stitching close to the turned-under edges on all of the hexagons.

NQM BOM Block #1, 12.5" x 24.5"

This block of the month just started at the beginning of May and will last until the end of 2023. You can find more info at the National Quilt Museum website HERE or on their Facebook page HERE (but you have to join their Facebook group to access it there.) Did I mention that the patterns are free?!

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday, and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. I'm also linking up my applique for Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts and Favorite Finishes at Meadow Mist Designs.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Purple UFO's Revisited

One of my goals for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year, besides making my chosen blocks in the assigned color each month, was to also make progress on some of my old UFOs. My plan was to pick a UFO each month based on our color for the RSC.

This month we are working with purple for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I didn't have many UFOs with purple in them, especially scrappy UFOs. However, I did find a couple of oldies that were still appealing.

The first project I pulled out was a set of Hawaiian applique blocks that I made between 2001 and 2003. There are three blocks completed, and the purple block at the bottom right is about 2/3 done.

Here is a closer shot of that unfinished block. I've been working on the applique this week and am making good progress on it. The unfinished area goes from the upper right down the right side to near center at the bottom. I hope to get the block done before the end of the month.

The other purple UFO that got pulled out was originally planned to be an Amish-inspired Sawtooth Diamond similar to the quilt below.

Mine was going to be made with prints, not solids, in fuchsia and purple. I made lots of small (1" finished) half-square triangles with my two fabrics, and that's where it stalled out. I realize now that this design is not a good choice for me because it is a great way to display some fancy quilting, and that is not my strong suit. 

I looked around for other ways to use some of the many HSTs, and decided to try a feathered star block. I have finished one block so far and am considering whether or not to make a few more.

Above was my first attempt at the block. I decided that I didn't like the HSTs near the base of the star points, so I reworked the block and replaced them with purple squares. Below is version #2. I wish I knew how to circle the area that got changed on my photos, but I'm not that technologically savvy.

I'm planning to get back to my regular RSC projects next week, probably starting with the Charm Baskets. I will try to get some more stitching done on the applique block, plus maybe figure out where I'm going with the feathered star block.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday. I'm also linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts, Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA